Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to congratulate The Bower repair and reuse centre for yet another wonderful ParraPickers second-hand market on Friday night. I spent a couple of hours there. It is wonderful to see so many people who are concerned about our environment making sure that our used goods don't end up in landfill. I want to talk today also about The Bower repair and reuse centre's latest campaign, which is a right-to-repair campaign. We have all found times when we have thrown something out because it was too costly to repair it or could not get it repaired and it has gone into landfill when it probably had years of life left. The right-to-repair campaign asks that manufacturers produce goods that are fixable, ensuring manuals and spare parts are easily available and allowing everyday Australians to make reasonable attempts to repair items without risk of voiding the warranty.

A right to repair would also encourage manufacturers to make high-quality, long-lasting goods in the first place rather than products that conveniently die as soon as the warranty expires. The Bower has launched a petition calling on government to act as we move towards a circular economy. I have to say I don't agree with all of the suggestions they put forward as to how we might do that but this is a debate we have to have and it is really important voices like this one be heard, so let me help amplify it today. They are looking at making sure that Australians have access to products that last longer than the warranty, that we produce goods that are fixable. If you are out there in the land of social media, join the movement, click on the link and sign the petition.

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